The Fear of Failure | Dr. Robert A. Kornfeld

July 23, 2014 6:52 PM

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Failure. What feelings does that word conjure up within you? In a society whose structure is based on complementary opposites (i.e. good/bad, right/wrong, smart/dull, yes/no, up/down, more/less, rich/poor, etc.) it is apparent that failure is on the "wrong" side of success. The word failure surely brings up feelings of fear, shame, pain, low self-esteem, embarrassment, anger, sadness, stress and victimhood. Of course, there are more things people feel about failure, but the important point is that failure is not a desirable experience. It is not the end result that anyone looks forward to. And when it comes, your world comes crashing down and the weight of failure can be too much of a burden to bear.

The stress of failure is a very real phenomenon because we live in a society that frowns upon failure as if the failure itself is a reflection of the character of the person. We are living in an era where "not good enough" is an epidemic which gives rise to depression, anxiety, agoraphobia, shyness,...